Hybrid Wheel Alignment System Using Passive Targets and Active Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle wheel alignment systems are costly to manufacture while maintaining high accuracy and feature sets, with incremental cost improvements not fully addressing the need for reduced expenses.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid wheel alignment system combining image-processing based aligners with passive and active sensing heads, using passive targets and cameras to measure wheel alignment, along with spatial relationship sensors and tilt sensors for precise calculations, reducing the need for expensive sensor hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional alignment systems use four sensor heads with multiple sensors each, then measurement precision is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the alignment measurement function into two segments: passive target heads mounted on wheels (no sensors) and active sensor heads mounted on the aligner (containing image sensors and processing electronics). This segmentation eliminates the need for expensive sensor hardware on each wheel while maintaining measurement precision through the active sensors capturing images of the passive targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses passive visual targets (patterns or markers) that can be imaged and processed computationally to represent wheel position and orientation. Instead of using expensive physical sensors on each wheel, the system creates a visual copy of the wheel's spatial information that can be analyzed by the active sensor heads, significantly reducing hardware costs while maintaining measurement accuracy.
2Ease of manufacture
If image processing aligners are used, then manufacturing cost decreases, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the measurement parameters from direct electrical sensor readings to optical image data. By capturing images of passive targets with active sensor heads and processing these images computationally, the system achieves accurate wheel alignment measurements using cost-effective image processing technology instead of expensive traditional sensor arrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical sensor heads with physical contact sensors with an optical imaging system. Instead of mechanical sensors physically attached to wheels, the system uses cameras and image processing to non-contactingly measure wheel position and orientation, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining or improving measurement precision.
3Device complexity
If passive heads are used instead of active sensing heads, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to determine spatial relationships is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the sensing function into the aligner structure (active sensor heads) while keeping the wheel-mounted components simple (passive targets). The active sensor heads contain image sensors and processing electronics that capture images of passive targets and determine spatial relationships, combining multiple functions into the aligner while minimizing wheel-mounted complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hybrid system achieves accurate wheel alignment measurements at a lower cost by leveraging image processing and sensor data, enabling the computation of complex parameters like scrub radius and caster trail without the high expense of traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the passive heads includes a target, e.g. as may be observed by an image sensor
Implementation Method 2
The sensor module is used to determine a spatial relationship between the active sensing heads
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid wheel alignment system and methodology use passive targets for a first pair of wheels (e.g. front wheels) and active sensing heads for another pair of wheels (e.g. rear wheels). The active sensing heads combine image sensors for capturing images of the targets with at least one spatial relationship sensor for sensing a relationship between the active sensing heads. One or both of the active sensing heads may include inclinometers or the like, for sensing one or more tilt angles of the respective sensing head. Data from the active sensing heads may be sent to a host computer for processing to derive one or more vehicle measurements, for example, for measurement of parameters useful in wheel alignment applications.